CHENNAI: In a bid to boost the infrastructure of the information technology sector in tier II and III cities and improve employability in rural Tamil Nadu, the state government is planning to formulate a fresh policy for information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) for the next five years, according to official sources.
The need for the policy comes as IT-BPM companies are planning to set up units in tier II and III cities, but are facing issues like the non-availability of skilled manpower and facilities to skill students or train teachers. Besides, there is a lack of land or buildings in well-connected localities which are close to bus stops, railway stations, health centres and other basic infrastructure.
The policy aims to revive the Information Communication Technology (ICT) Policy (2018) as there is a need for a policy shift in the post-Covid era with the inclusion of trending technology. The new policy is likely to focus on agritech, tele-medicine, electric vehicles, local businesses with technology and credit markets to revive the rural economy and generate revenue for the state, sources said.
The state had introduced the policy for the development of business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in rural areas way back in 2010 and it was revived in 2012 with an enhanced rural BPO policy. In order to promote jobs for rural students, the incentives and subsidies were extended under the ICT Policy to companies ready to invest in tier II and III cities such as Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchy, Salem, Tirunelveli and Hosur, as well as rural locations.
Apart from incentives, the state will provide 100% stamp duty exemption for lease or purchase of land or shed or buildings exclusively for IT-BMP. The floor space index (FSI) will also be relaxed up to 100% for designated IT-ITES parks all over the state. The certification will be undertaken by Elcot.
Similarly, one of the major concerns in tier II and III cities is non-availability of qualified manpower as there is migration to metro cities for better opportunities. To eliminate this, the policy covers training programmes to ensure the availability of qualified talent. The content and curriculum to skill students will be enhanced and developed by firms identified by Nasscom, sources said.